Longmeadow tops Minnechaug 4-0 to make return trip to Division I field hockey final

The Republican photo by Dave RobackLongmeadow's Stephanie Sabatini (center) celebrates after scoring the second goal of the game against Minnechaug. Longmeadow's Katie McKenna (9) and Paula Shea (4) celebrate during the Lancers' 4-0 win at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley Tuesday night.SOUTH HADLEY – Longmeadow High School is headed back to the Western Massachusetts Division I field hockey final.
And the Lancers are not going there quietly.
Coach Ann Simons’ team took control from the start, scoring twice in the opening six minutes before topping Minnechaug Regional 4-0 in a semifinal Tuesday at Mount Holyoke College .

The top-seeded Lancers (17-1-1), who scored three of their goals off penalty corners, will face Wesfield, which beat Agawam 2-1 Tuesday night, in the championship contest Saturday at a time yet to be announced.
“Corners are a strong point of ours,” Longmeadow senior midfielder Paula Shea said. “We came out with fire in the first half and got those two goals in right away.”
Danny George, Stephanie Sabatini, Shea and Katie McKenna scored for Longmeadow, which hasn’t lost to a Division I opponent all season. The Lancers, who lost in the final to Agawam in 2008, have won the regional championship five of the last seven seasons.
Minnechaug played better over the final 45 minutes, but Longmeadow’s defense of George, Emilee Herringshaw and Liz Holmes made things easy for goalies Maddy Piccus and Corey Hedges, who were called upon to make just two saves.

“We have great defense, and defense wins championships” Shea said. “They’re the heart of our team. They keep us going.”
Longmeadow took control from the onset, scoring twice in the opening six minutes. George scored on a penalty corner from the top of the circle off a pass from McKenna |one minute into the semifinal, and Sabatini got to a loose ball in the middle of the circle before finding the back of the cage five minutes later for a 2-0 lead.
“It got us into the game: it got us excited,” said McKenna of the two early goals. “It got our nerves out and got us comfortable.”
After Minnechaug called a timeout midway through the half, the Falcons got into the flow of the game. But Minnechaug was missing that one big pass or that one big shot.
“We didn’t play our best,” Minnechaug senior Aimee Donaruma said. “We couldn’t connect any passes. We couldn’t get to the ball quick enough. They outplayed us.”
Shea scored three minutes into the second half, and McKenna netted the final goal seven minutes later after a perfect backdoor play from Shea and Sara Brooks on a corner.
Fourth-seeded Minnechaug, which beat Franklin County Technical 6-0 in a quarterfinal, finished 11-6-3.